UK Politics VI - Will Britain Steir to Karmer Waters?

[Samson]

So, where does the "north" begin in England?

Traditionaly the Watford Gap

 

[Kyriakos]

Traditionaly the Watford Gap

I expected Birmingham to be in the south, but apparently it isn't.

 

[Cloud_Strife]

Maybe it’s because I agree with all of what is written here, but I struggle to see what anyone would find objectionable here.

Coincidentally you aren't trans, so of course you see no issue with her anti trans rhetoric

 

[EnglishEdward]

Yes it is. A human's memory is only in themselves and isn't recorded in a database that can consulted by others at will and saved and processed by automated systems to be abused.

Because it's enabling real-time monitoring of people, which is a definite step for totalitarian regimes.

We already have that with smart phones, cookies, apps, and store cards etc.

 

[Samson]

We already have that with smart phones, cookies, apps, and store cards etc.

These are all optional and controllable by the data subject, unlike facial recognition in public places.

 

[Akka]

We already have that with smart phones, cookies, apps, and store cards etc.

1) As Samson said, those are mostly controlable by the subject.
2) They are abused by corporation but (not yet) mandatory through law, and in fact usually running afoul of privacy law.
3) What kind of weird reasoning is "we already are threatened by the abuse of our private information, so let's go even farther with that" rather than then opposite of fighting back against this encroachment ?

 

[EnglishEdward]

I don't regard merely being recognised in public places as an abuse of my private information.

 

[Senethro]

Doing a thing deliberately, in a planned manner, with oversight, regulation and a means to negotiate is better. An attempt to manufacture cultural standards than letting potentially toxic ones develop to suit whoever gets there first.

 

[Akka]

I don't regard merely being recognised in public places as an abuse of my private information.

Recognized, no.
Recorded and having said information being saved in databases, though, falls exactly into the domain of lack of privacy and threats to abuse, which is what I actually said.

 

[EnglishEdward]

I only expect privacy in my bathroom, bedroom or toilet.

In my view such LFR is merely a technological update on being recognised by the old local beat bobby.

 

[Senethro]

I disagree because you could practically gain the loyalty of all the LFR officers in a nation in a way it's not easy to do for local cops.

 

[Gorbles]

Kinda funny to defend a nationwide implementation of creeping authoritarianism with "well I don't expect privacy". Like, and? Who cares if you do or don't? The policy isn't decided by the opinion of one guy who's okay with it, nor should it be. Your opinion is just as valid as anyone elses', and in aggregate is only a single opinion.

 

[Kyriakos]

With AI, everyone can make incriminating videos. One can suppose that the existence of ample material for virtually every citizen due to so many security cameras on public spaces, will inevitably feed into that.

 

[Akka]

I only expect privacy in my bathroom, bedroom or toilet.

So you support totalitarianism where anyone can be monitored everywhere ?

In my view such LFR is merely a technological update on being recognised by the old local beat bobby.

The "technological update" makes all the difference, because local beat bobby simply wasn't able on following and remembering everyone 24/24 7/7 while logging everything, while camera and databases are.
You can't put a cop behind everyone in the country. You CAN electronically monitor everyone in the country.

You're just falling for the totalitarian excuse "if you have nothing to hide you shouldn't be bothered by being under surveillance".

 

[innonimatu]

Speaking of fascism, The UK still hasn't gotten there because Starmer and his gang are such fools that they couldn't run a dictatorship anywhere, but they are very much into fascist tactics already. It isn't for lack of desiring to set up one.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I only expect privacy in my bathroom, bedroom or toilet.

In my view such LFR is merely a technological update on being recognised by the old local beat bobby.

So not even your kitchen or living room?

 

[Cloud_Strife]

Hurtling towards fascism, but it's ok as long as immigrants, trans people and anyone else edward takes issue with is worse off

 

[EnglishEdward]

So not even your kitchen or living room?

If my neighbours really want to look through my windows and watch
me cooking or eating; then I think it is for them, not me, to be pitied.

 

[Mega Tsunami]

From the Telegraph:

Trump has handed Brexit Britain a golden opportunity
The UK is poised to capitalise on the EU’s misfortune after escaping America’s more punitive tariffs

Donald Trump’s blizzard of tariffs has been greeted with dismay by most world leaders, but in Britain politicians can at least see a silver lining.

The UK has claimed a major benefit from Brexit after the US president imposed a 10pc levy on goods imported from the UK – half the 20pc rate hitting exporters who are still in the European Union.

Andrew Griffith, shadow trade secretary, called the low rate “a Brexit dividend that will have protected thousands of British jobs and businesses”.

Number 10 said Britain’s approach to courting Trump had been “vindicated” by the lower rate.

Lord Frost, a Conservative peer and former Brexit negotiator, said: “It also vindicates our decision to get out of the EU and its customs union”, praising the prime minister “for being ready to take advantage of our status as an independent country and the Brexit freedoms that go with it”.

Economists still expect Britain’s economy to suffer from Trump’s sweeping trade war in the short-term, with Sir Keir Starmer warning of an “economic impact”.

However, seizing the opportunities offered by the UK’s lower tariffs could turn into a long-term benefit for the country.

Kevin Craven, the head of ADS, the trade group for the UK aerospace, defence and space sectors, says: “We are better off than Europe today and our Government and officials are reasonably positive about improving the better position that we have, and our members are saying the impacts of what we know now are not catastrophic.

“The overall impact on global trade is going to be really difficult and really choppy. But in the medium to longer term it’s quite possible that Britain being on the edge of Europe – who may well be considering retaliatory measures that we won’t be considering – might provide opportunities in the future.”

The 10pc tariff is not, of itself, good for Britain: it means companies selling products into the US now face a new tax that makes their goods more expensive on the other side of the Atlantic. For carmakers, the situation is even worse as Trump imposed a 25pc tax on all imported vehicles.

The US is the UK’s single biggest export market, buying almost £60bn of British goods in the past 12 months. Cars made up the largest chunk, with £8.3bn of sales to Americans. Until now, the market has been growing. US purchases of British-made cars grew by 17pc last year.

Economists now expect a sharp slowdown both in trade and growth, potentially pushing the UK into recession. The overall blow Trump has dealt to the world economy will also be painful for Britain.

But trade is a relative game. Businesses could over time even turn adversity into opportunity as countries like the UK gain a competitive edge over rivals.

“There will always be winners and losers and we have some very smart people and businesses who will be looking for ways to turn it to their advantage,” says Craven. “There will be a shaking out of the competitive edge in each territory.”

Two elements could work to Britain’s advantage.

One is the fact that a British manufacturer is at less of a disadvantage than a competitor within the EU when selling into the US market. The difference in tax rates gives UK-made goods a 10 percentage-point edge over those sent from the other side of the Channel.

This could prompt US companies to buy more from the UK and for multinational companies to shift more work and investment out of the EU and into the UK.

“One of the thoughts we’re having is that Northern Ireland might become more interesting,” says Craven. “It is part of GB and while aerospace components are not specifically called out in the Windsor Protocols, it is a slightly freer trade environment with Europe than is mainland UK, so who knows where that might go.”

A British renaissance
European factories will not simply be able to send their products via Britain and then on to America, a tactic that would swiftly be sniffed out and shut down by US customs officials.

The “rules of origin” mean that, for customs purposes, a part made in Germany that is simply shipped via the UK will still be charged an EU tariff at the American border.

To get around this, raw materials or parts must be sufficiently transformed in some way – by modifying them or using them to assemble a more complex product, for example.

This could form the basis of a British manufacturing renaissance, assuming there is no further turmoil in American trade policy and the UK manages to capitalise on its newfound competitive edge.

Tomasz Wieladek, chief European economist at investment manager T. Rowe Price, says: “Plants producing anything in the UK will be more competitive than in the EU, which will support some domestic investment. Trade diversion to the US via the UK is likely to be now significant.”

Doing this for any goods in sectors where Britain’s general tariffs are lower than the EU’s could save manufacturers significant sums. For the moment, blanket 25pc tariffs for cars and steel would prevent those industries benefiting, however.
Lower prices?
The second element is that Trump’s tariffs could drive down prices in Britain.

His trade policy is designed to repel imports. The new country-by-country taxes and the universal tariffs on steel, aluminium and cars mean anyone in the world who built factories outside of the US intended to sell to American customers is suddenly at a loss.

As a result, companies are likely to seek customers elsewhere, potentially selling their products at knockdown rates to prevent stock piling up. This could mean cheaper goods flooding into Britain.

That might not be welcomed by local factory bosses but it would be great news for consumers, who are likely to welcome lower prices after the cost of living crisis.

David Miles, at the Office for Budget Responsibility, told MPs this week: “Some of the exports from China, for example, that would have gone to the US, they’ll be looking for a home for them in the rest of the world. And stuff would be available in the UK a bit cheaper than [it] otherwise would have been.”

Similarly Megan Greene, a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, said tariffs might lead to lower inflation.
“Trade diversion … means that other countries that used to have a big market in the US might need to find another market, and they might do so by discounting things,” she said. “That could be disinflationary and could happen fairly quickly.”

Such a development could help the Bank of England cut interest rates – traders in financial markets think three rate cuts by the MPC are now more likely than two over the next 12 months.

Britain’s ability to set its own trade policy also holds out the hope of more nimble negotiations with the White House. It means Sir Keir can negotiate without being hamstrung by grumpy French farmers or fussy German manufacturers.

Andy Palmer, a former Nissan executive who was also boss of Aston Martin, says that a deal with Trump could potentially unlock advantages for British industries that are currently suffering, like automotive.

“In some key areas, you could actually end up with the UK being at an advantage compared to the rest of Europe,” he says. “It could be that the UK becomes a landing point for European exports to the US.

“The question is whether the Starmer Government is mature enough and has enough understanding of business to exploit that potential benefit.”

Trump has handed Brexit Britain a golden opportunity

The UK is poised to capitalise on the EU’s misfortune after escaping America’s more punitive tariffs

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Kyriakos]

From the Telegraph:

Trump has handed Brexit Britain a golden opportunity
The UK is poised to capitalise on the EU’s misfortune after escaping America’s more punitive tariffs

Trump has handed Brexit Britain a golden opportunity

The UK is poised to capitalise on the EU’s misfortune after escaping America’s more punitive tariffs

www.telegraph.co.uk

Britain doesn't even need his help currently; Palmerston would have been smiling with the coalescence of opportunism and gullibility in the continent.